In long haul, you pay a premium for a non stop service.
There are many savvy people who fly LHR-Europe.
Get off plane. Re-board same plane.
Fly Europe-LHR-Long haul.
Repeat on return, you can save hundreds on the London fare if you book long haul from AMS/BRU/CDG, even factoring in a LHR-Europe return fare. Two tickets so bags need to be collected and re-checked.
Many of those juicy long haul deals from the regions via KLM are at fare levels the native Dutch will never see.....
One of the most comparably expensive places Emirates fly to is.....Dubai.LHR-DXB-DOH for example is usually cheaper than LHR-DXB.